STEM-H Summit underway in Danville

DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - Students in Southside are learning the importance of STEM-related careers.

A two-day STEM-H summit kicked off Wednesday at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

Students participated in hands-on science, technology, engineering, math and health activities.

They also checked out a product called FarmBot, which is similar to a 3-D printer, but for gardens.

"It moves around and it plants seeds and it waters them, and uses sensors to learn about the soil, the plants, and the environment in order to farm smarter over time," said FarmBot CEO Rory Aronson.

Jeremy Beach is a polymer chemist at the institute and conducted a demonstration with students to help them understand what polymers are.

"Polymers are in everything. They're in cars and automobiles, they're in your everyday life. They're in your cell phones. They're even in the batteries that are in your cell phones," Beach explained. "So, being able top expose kids to these types of material and how they're made and processed will [help them] begin to develop an interest in STEM and polymers."

Thursday, teachers and local business representatives will get to experience the activities.